Greetings from the Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition at Navy Pier - Day 1!
Posted by Betsy Summers on Fri, Feb 20, 2009
This afternoon has brought coffee enthusiasts and on-lookers together from around the region to the GLRBC. Today we 18 Baristas showcased their presentations and their 4+4+4 (4 cappuccinos, 4 espressos and 4 specialty drinks). Every competitor today may have had different styles and presentation, but they all were in the hot seat with the judges and the audience watching their every move.
Here's a little more ino about the Competitors!
Justin Teisl - Four Barrel Coffee, San Francisco, CA
Justin is our first out-of-region competitor. This means that he is not officially competing here but will take the scores he receives from the judges and use those to improve on his presentation and drinks when he competes at the USBC. His signature drink was a two part drink with one side consisting of coconut and bitters - the other side espresso and black current. He has been a barista for seven and a half years and we wish his luck at the USBC!
Logan Demmy, Rohs Street Cafe, Grove City, Ohio
Logan is a student at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio and getting ready to graduate with a degree in Chemical Engineering. His specialty drink consisted of tapioca infused with anise, cardamom and honey. When asked by the emcee how his thinks his performance was he said "better and worse"! Logan has only been a barista for five months!
Parris Graves, Boston Stoker Inc., Vandalia, OH
Parris is not only competing in the GLRBC, but he is also a second alternate for the Latte Art Competition as well. He has been a barista for two and a half years. His specialty drink was named the "Grasshoppiato", which consisted of organic mint leaves, unsweetened organic cocoa, and of course, espresso.
Laura Feldman, MadCap Coffee, Grand Rapids, MI
Laura has been a barista for two and a half years. Her specialty drink was maple syrup, almond cream and cinnamon. She was excited to share that she is one of three people competing from MadCap that just opened one month, one week ago. When asked how she thought her presentation went she said "decent"!
Sam Brown, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
Sam has been a coffee lover his whole life but a barista for 10 years. He even shared with the crowd that when he was 14, he had to get a workers permit to work in the café. He also said that his favorite part of being a barista is the "free caffeine"! His specialty drink consisted of chocolate and coconut. Sam is that he is a vinyl mixer (DJ) by night!
Sara Wilson-Jones, Phoenix Coffee, Cleveland, OH
Sara is a seasoned barista with over 16 years of experience! She is a first time competitor, but has been a judge several times. Her specialty drink consisted of garlic, lime peel, black pepper, vanilla bean, a little pure cane sugar and milk that was inspired by her daughter Veronica. Sara had both of her adorable daughters Charlotte and Veronica cheering her on!
Ryan Groh, Self pro-claimed Coffee Renegade/Freelancer, Chicago, IL
After watching his prepare with yoga moves, stretching and smiles, Ryan was sharing with us the items in his specialty drink. This is his first time competing. He named his drink the "Rorschach Test" - it includes 70 different items. His favorite quote is "go with what you know"!
Andy Atkinson, The Italian Coffee Bar, Chicago, IL
Andy has been a barista for 3 years and is competing again for the second time. His specialty drink was called Strawberry Shortcake. When asked why he chose this drink, he said he was looking for a "fun drink that was bar inspired!" One fun fact about Andy is that he has a portafilter tattoo on his arm!
Lindsey Myers, Muggswigz Coffee, Canton, OH
This year's competition marks Lindsey's fourth time competing! She has been a barista for 6 years. Her specialty drink was called the "Banana Bloom". The judges started by sipping the ripe banana puree that was blended with Yuzu in one cup and rounded it off with lavender infused Machiotto. Lindsey says she is missing her two kids back at home - Rowyn and Alsey.
Shannon Savage, Boston Stoker Inc., Vandalia, OH
Shannon has been a barista for seven years and for six of those he has been serving "great espresso to customers" at Boston Stoker. His specialty drink was Indian Cuisine inspired with saffron, honey, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cardamom and clove. One fascinating fact about Shannon is that the honey that he used in his drink came directly from his own hive. He currently has three hives and his wife is the County Bee Inspector!
Carl Ahlteen, Café Brioso, Columbus, OH
A first time competitor, Carl has been a barista for 1.5 years. He started washing dishes at Café Brioso and has worked his way to manager. He says "with hard work and determination you can do it if you try"! His specialty drink was melted chocolate, heavy whip cream, layered with espresso, topped with foam, cinnamon and ancho chili powder. He also stated that "competing is VERY nerve wracking!"
Caroline Moyer, Phoenix Coffee, South Euclid, OH
This is Caroline's first time competing at the GLRBC - as our Emcee said, she was a "competition virgin"! She has been a barista for over 5 years. Her specialty drink was called "Sugar and Spice"; it consisted of ginger, habanera and sugar. She said she had fun with her light and upbeat presentation.
Chris DeMarse, Alliance World Coffees, Marion, IN
A very confident Chris said he felt his presentation was "very solid and that it went very well". Chris has been a barista for 6.5 years and this is his third time competing. His specialty drink was "Belgium Farmhouse" inspired, stemming from a beer he tasted this summer that seemed to be flavored with banana and spice. The drink consisted of banana and spice infused with simple syrup, part cream and organic milk. Chris mentioned that his wife Rachael will be happy to read this blog! Hi Rachael - wish you were here!
Colin Whitcomb, Alterra Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
A cool and calm Colin entertained the audience and judges with his upbeat music selection. His specialty drink was in two parts - one side was a hand squeezed blood orange aid and garnished with ginger, a bit of rosewater and lime juice and the other side consisted of Con Panna with cream. Colin shared with us that he grows Phalehopsis (orchids) in his house.
Les Stoeham, La Terza Coffee, Cincinnati, OH
Les has been a barista for the past six years. He offered the judges a specialty drink that was inspired by food pairings - espresso, hazelnut cream, cabernet grape juice reduction and smoked blue cheese. When he is not pulling shots at La Terza, he is spending time in Guatemala with the La Armonia Hermosa organization training and educating coffee farmers.
We didn't catch up with these folks after their presentations, but we will look out for them tomorrow:
- Stefanie Zydowicz, Stone Creek Coffee, Milwaukee, WI
- Jesse Crouse, Intelligentsia Coffee, Chicago, IL
- Trevor Gruehn, Manna Café, Madison, WI